


Coloured Pebbles

by wildwinterwitch



Series: Driftwood [19]
Category: Broadchurch, True Love (TV)
Genre: 2013 Advent Calendar, Drabble, Gen, Sea Glass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-23
Updated: 2013-12-23
Packaged: 2018-01-05 18:02:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1096896
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wildwinterwitch/pseuds/wildwinterwitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three missing scenes from <i>Sea Glass</i>.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coloured Pebbles

“You must eat something,” he said. He nudged the tray of food invitingly. He’d made spaghetti bolognese, and there was an apple and a glass of milk. Teresa hated milk.

“I’m not ten years old,” she said.

“Please,” he said.

“I’m terrified. Do you really think that I could eat anything?” she said.

He looked at her, desperation writ all over his face.

“Could your child eat,” she asked, “with a stranger looming over him, away from home?”

He swallowed.

And then she realised.

“You’re Christopher Gillespie.” An icy shiver ran down her spine. She couldn’t even think of eating at least the apple.

-:-

Em had expected Holly to be closer to their age when he’d mentioned she was a teacher. Holly looked like a student, and there was a terse remark about robbing the cradle on her lips. But then Em made eye contact as they shook hands. Holly was older than she looked. There lived sorrow in her that put her closer to them in age after all. Em wondered whom or what she had lost.

Without doubt it was what attracted Alec to her, and Em wondered if he was trying to help her in an attempt to help himself, or if there was more to their relationship.

-:-

When Dad handed him a tumbler of Laphroaig, Alec just accepted it. They were sitting at the fireplace, the tree just beside it. Everyone had left for the night, had left them to their traditional Christmas drink.

This was for Mum.

“I love her,” Dad said, raising his glass.

-:-

Christmas Eve at her Mum’s was, as usual, filled with their friends and their laughter. Holly had made dinner, and they’d eaten too much, and Mum was playing her own version of Christmas carols on the piano, and everyone was singing along.  
Holly dug her phone out. “I love you,” she texted Alec.


End file.
